Le Lendemain is rather interestingly Danny Norbury and Danny Wenngren (Library Tapes) 2 people whose own music I have already reviewed this week. They have worked together in the past on the Library Tapes record ‘Sketches’ where Norbury has added string accompaniment to Wenngren’s subtle piano pieces. On this outing under the moniker Le Lendemain it is Norbury who is mostly to the fore on cello producing some lovely sounds throughout. However, despite this, for me this record does retain a certain Library Tapes-esque feel/influence to it with Wenngren’s piano flirting in and out of pieces in a staccato like fashion as all the while static flickers and crackles and Norbury tells his tales on the cello. Listening to Wenngren play is fascinating. It actually sounds like he could be hitting notes at random, flitting in and out underneath the lovely layered cello. It adds such a rhythmic quality to the music without ever really creating a melody or anything of real substance. Wilco did an exercise like this during the making of ‘A Ghost Is Born’ where Jeff Tweedy was in one booth playing a song and everyone else could only hear what he was playing and nothing else. They had to improvise along with the tune and see what everyone came up with and how it all sounded together. This record, at times, makes me think of that exercise. When piano takes lead, Wenngren can really play, but where the pieces are lead by the cello he is truly at his most inventive and interesting creating lovely texture and atmosphere.

One thing about this record is for sure. If you listen to Library Tapes ‘Fragment’ EP and then Norbury’s ‘Light In August’ (which I highly recommend that you do) you will hear how the 2 main components of this particular record break down as individual artists. This is really quite a lovely coming together of their 2 worlds. One world where melodies reign supreme and one where the scattered fragments of songs are pieced together to create ambient sound scapes. In the world of Le Lendemain both worlds combine creating a great piece of music that I would once again highly recommend, if the minimalist modern classical world is something you are fond of. You can check out the wonderful Le Lendemain here. Enjoy.